Sperm motility test device and method

Abstract

Test kits for assessing male fertility include a sample holder defining an object plane, a lens, and a two dimensional light sensor defining an image plane arranged along a common linear axis. The distance between the object plane and the image plane may be no more than 50 mm, and may be no more than 30 mm. A lens aperture may have an area of 1-10 mm2. The test kit may have a housing with a maximum linear dimension of no more than 100 mm. Processing circuitry may be provided that is configured to produce a sperm count and / or sperm motility measurements by processing image data from the two-dimensional light sensor.

Description

REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION[0001]This application is related to U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61 / 774,990 filed Mar. 8, 2013, and takes priority therefrom.BACKGROUND[0002]Field[0003]The embodiments disclosed herein relate to test devices and methods for assessing male fertility.[0004]Description of the Related Art[0005]Male fertility is generally assessed by counting the number of sperm per milliliter in a semen sample. Traditionally, this has been done manually by a trained andrologist. A semen sample is placed under a microscope, and the number of observed sperm are counted in a given area of view. This count is correlated to sample volume to produce a value for sperm per milliliter. In addition to sperm count, sperm motility is also a significant factor in assessing male fertility. A qualitative assessment of sperm motility can be made by visually evaluating the motion of the sperm in the sample under the microscope. These microscope systems are generally expensive, a...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The patent text describes a male fertility assessment apparatus and method using a bright field imaging system that includes a backlight, lens system, and two-dimensional light sensor. The apparatus has a small housing with a specific ratios of height to width and length to width, and a sample holder and chamber for placing a semen sample. The image of the sample is captured by the light sensor, processed by the processing circuitry, and output as data indicating one or more sperm characteristics. The technical effects of this apparatus and method include improved accuracy and efficiency in assessing male fertility, with potential applications in diagnostics and assisted reproduction.

Problems solved by technology

These microscope systems are generally expensive, and can produce inconsistent results, even when used by well trained personnel.

However, a numerical result for sperm count is not obtainable with this test kit, and it has no facility for assessing sperm motility.

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